Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-27
!. SONGS OF THE WAR.
Origin Of Popular War Melodies. rs
familiar as oOia Hundred1 70 MILE
Ions Of People,

From the Rochester Post Expresses
One OF the most interesting articles In the Cen
f,.ry for August is from the pen OF Brander Nat
thews, who gives the history of the most famous
war songs or all these songs Mr.. Matthews
thinks but two are finer than ssYankee Doodle"
and the "Star Spangled Banner" and these are
'John Browns Body" and marching Through
Georgia." OF the former the genesis OF both
words and music is obscure. His conjectural con-
struction OF the story OF the song is briefly this:
In 1855 William Steffe, Of Philadelphia, was
asked by fire company in Charleston, s. c., to
write an air to certain verses the chorus OF which
began, ''Say, bummers will you meet us!" After
was lifted to it and it became the camp-meeting
nymn "Say, brothers, Will you meet us?" In 1850
songs.
When Fort Sumter was fired on the campaign
songs the calnp-meettng songs, the street songs
among which was ''Tell John Andrew John
Browns Body" came into being. Mr.. Matthews
says this song was put together by quartet OF
men In the Tigers and the soldiers
marched down Broadway July "a, 1861. They
sang 1t necessarily until 1862, and by that time
tne whole nation was familiar with II.
~, The most popular war song Of the South was
nMy Maryland" JAS r. Randall was It's author.
He was native OF Baltimore, but In April. 1861,
was residing In New Orleans. From the papers OF
that city he read highly colored account OF the
attack on the Massachusetts troops while they
WIZ passing eAfOuSH bditiHlOTSs hS HOTheu AlA-
self up into fever OF excitement, and then wrote
the words. Afterward the verses were set to the
music OF "Laurger Horatius," favorite college
song on jovial character.
Dixie was another popular song. 1t was com.
posed In 1859, according to Mr.. Matthews, by Dan
u. Emmett, as q ''walk-around" for Bryant's min,
strels. Emmett had travelled with cirCuses, had
heard circus men speak Of the country south OF
Mason and Dixons fine as Dixie, and had heard
DAYS became uncomfortably cold. II wish was
IN Dixie" they used to say, and 1T was upon this
mat Emmett founded his song. In the fall OF 1850
Mrs John Wood sung "Dxie" in New Orleans in
John Broughams burIesQue, s'Pocahontas" SOUTH
ern words to suit the tune had been written by
Gen. Albert Pike, and the air was also used by
republican campaign singers at the North.
"The Bonnie Blue Flag" also came from the thea
yer: me tune Is an old Hbernan melody, accord.
The I, words were written by an Irish comedian,
Harry Mccarthy. "The Bonnie Blue Flag became
at q. once popular. but was not so much sung us was
Just Before the Battle, Mother" The latter was
composed, words and music, by Geo. +. Root of
chicago, whowas also the author OF "The Battle
the Boys Are Marching" Ali OF Mr.. Roofs songs
We're immensely popular with the soldiers, but
1ne nrs5 iavorlte was probably "rhe Battle Cry
Beyond doubt the most popular war song at
the North Is ''Marchtng Through Georgia" Prob
ABLY Gen. Sherman has heard it a million times
lie thinks he has, anyway, for the bands play 1t
wherever he goes-pretty much as "Hail to the
Chief" Is played wherever the President shows his
iieou. MS wi NIltleu ny utHiy Z. WILL, WIN
was iona OF rejecting the rude negro rhy thms and
was familiar with the songs OF the cotton field and
ievee. Mr. Matthews says, however, that ''March-
Ing Through Georgia" was not founded on negro
air. and he regards the tune new and fresh and
Spirited 1.-the chief musical legacy OF the war;
1--WE Are Coming, Father Abraham, Three Hun
dred Thousand More" appeared originally In the
New York Evening Post, and as the authors name
Was not given the pubic believed for time that
VIM. Cullen Bryant wrote it. But its author Was
JnO. s. Gibbons, Quaker, who, so Mir. Matthews
says, had reasonable leaning towaId wrath In
"When Johnny comes Marching Home" was writ
ten by r s. Gilmore. Julia Ward HOwe's "Battle
hymn OF the Republic was written, Mrs. Howe
anight given to thought OF the subject in
which the lines were gradually worked out. The
tlte was given to 1t by JAS. L. Fields Of the at
LuRfic MOufhIL